Reese Witherspoon sent a heartfelt message to her husband, super-agent Jim Toth, on their sixth wedding anniversary.
"Six years ago I was lucky enough to marry this wonderful man," Witherspoon wrote. "He makes me laugh everyday and supports me in everything I do. Happy anniversary, JT! Here's to many more!"
Great, now that that's over let's talk about her powerhouse performance in Big Little Lies. First of all, that show is way better than it has any right to be. A soapy, pulpy murder drama that doesn't even tell you who dies for weeks and weeks? Normally, that would be an intense snoozefest that would lead to me whipping my cell phone across the room because it was being overpraised. Somehow, it's been both excellent and underrated.
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Second of all, Reese is the beating heart of the series. Her performance as "Reese Witherspoon but married to Adam Scott instead of super-agent James Toth" is equal parts confounding, empathetic, and totally amazing. We understand, instinctually, all of the choices she makes and lies she tells. Even though she's an objectively bad person, Witherspoon is so warm in the role that we want her to get away with everything. And that's not to say that Adam Scott's performance is bad; he's been pitch-perfect as the too-kind husband who Witherspoon chooses after her old flame dips out to start a new life with Zoe Kravitz. When she gets in the car with the director, we know that she's going to make a mistake, but we're right there with her.
She never goes over the top, and neither does the series. What could have ended up as a forgettable bit of pulpy trash TV has instead become a masterclass from a set of actors at the tops of their games, chewing up scenery like the T. rex chasing Laura Dern in Jurassic Park (she, too, wow).
So, yeah: If you're not watching it, you ought to. Also, happy anniversary to Witherspoon and Toth.